


Diamonds, Hearts, Spades

by chaconne_gg



Category: THE9 (Band), youth with you 2, 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV), 青春有你2
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Angst, F/F, Friendship, Heist, Idol Producer AU, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:47:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25459573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaconne_gg/pseuds/chaconne_gg
Summary: Now working for rival agencies, Yu Yan and Zeng Keni live fast-paced lives rich in gold, girls, and guns. But when a high-stakes casino heist causes their paths to cross once more, who will fold?
Relationships: Yu Yan/Zeng Keni
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. PROLOGUE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yani must live

The room, devoid of color or any sort of decoration, is filled only by the monotonous hum of hardworking computers and impatient footsteps.

Typing wordlessly, Keyin knows she's going to ask again. She squeezes her eyes shut equally in anticipation and annoyance.

In 3...2...

Xu Jiaqi, biting her lip, decides to break the near silence. “Are you in now?” The pacing girl asks, impatiently wringing her hands. As if she were made of stone, Keyin turns stiffly in her chair to face her.

“Jiaqi.” She takes a deep breath to maintain her composure, slowly looking up at her short-haired mission partner. “Sixteen times,” Keyin sighs. “You’ve asked me that sixteen times in the past half hour.” Glaring over the frames of her computer glasses, she watches as Jiaqi’s lips press into a straight line. Her voice is quiet.

“Okay... But the answer has always been no.”

Keyin means to laugh but the anger simmering within her transforms it into a scoff. “I told you. Hacking, real-life hacking, isn’t at all like the movies. I-I... I can’t just slam on keys.” Rubbing tired eyes, Xie Keyin turns back to her monitors. “It’s not easy.” She enters final lines of code, before launching her attack. “It requires concentration...” Her eyes quickly scan across the text that appears on her computer monitor. "...and skill."

In the dim light of the screens, Jiaqi watches as Keyin rapidly types, occasionally frowning, before typing some more. Though she hasn't known her for long, Jiaqi admires how serious Keyin becomes while doing her job. Something about seeing her in her element is almost moving.

Still, this is so boring. After a while, Jiaqi's eyes glaze over, vaguely remarking the way Keyin's fingers glide so easily across the keyboard, it's as if she's barely touching it.

Suddenly, the hacker laughs triumphantly. Jiaqi’s eyebrows raise in alarm as Keyin turns the monitor in Jiaqi's direction. “You’re lucky I’m the best,” she grins, her eyes shining like they're full of stars. “Because I just breached the entire server.”  
Jiaqi’s face is slowly overtaken by a smile, but her expression is largely overwhelmed by confusion. “Completely undetected,” Keyin adds haughtily.

The short-haired girl leans closer to the computer, hovering just over Keyin. She’s a bit too close. Keyin feels mildly repulsed by the heat of Jiaqi’s sigh and uncomfortably shifts away from her before she speaks. “What...what am I looking at?” Jiaqi’s eyes dart across the lines of text that fill the screen, before looking at the hacker. “I don’t speak nerd.”

“Ugh, nevermind,” Keyin groans, rolling her chair to the furthest monitor. “But to answer your question, yes, we’re in now.”

“Really?” Jiaqi smiles brightly, before deadpanning: “This is so boring. I should have just gone with Yu Yan and the others.” Keyin doesn't feel like listening after she starts whining about how good she would've looked in the dress she’d picked out and how much of a crime it was that she didn't get to wear it.

“Shut up and get back to keeping watch." Tuning out Jiaqi's complaints, Keyin rolls her eyes. She picks up her radio. "I have to call Yu Yan.”

* * *

  
_“Good evening, ladies,”_ Yu Yan’s voice sounds from their earpieces.

Yu Yan removes a manicured finger from the button of her earpiece, as to stop transmitting her words to the members. A small smile on her lips, she turns to meet eyes with Lingzi, who nods before wordlessly exiting the casino restroom.

She waits for the sound of Lingzi's heels clicking against the marble to fade before looking in the mirror. Facing her reflection, she almost doesn't recognize the girl in the glass.

It seems so effortless.

She seems unreal.

The way her red hair falls in perfect spirals down her back. The way her body is tightly hugged by the black dress Chengxuan had forced her to buy and the way her tattoos peek from its cutouts.

The way her eyes seem so clear.

It's time. Yu Yan allows herself to feel the pressure, but only for a moment. As quickly as it'd arrived, she pushes aside her uncertainty. She decides she can't afford to feel such a thing. It has taken too much to get here after all.

With gentle poise, Yu Yan reaches for her purse resting upon the countertop of the sink. After confirming the contents of her bag, she pulls out a tube of red lipstick.

With her free hand, she reaches to her ear.

“Can everyone hear me?” She sing-songs. Yu Yan leans closer to the mirror, reapplying the familiar red.

Perfect.

Yu Yan zips her purse. Taking a deep breath, she allows her attention to gravitate to the sound of faint music steadily booming from the other side of the restroom door.

Just outside, the hazy air of the casino enshrouds patrons in such divine illusion. They move without care. The voices of strangers bleed into one another, further lost behind the sounds of colorful machines; their bodies hidden by flashing lights and designer clothing.

The atmosphere drips with desperation. Seduced by whispered promises of wealth, they are helpless against temptation.

None of them care about tomorrow.

It’s chaos.

Yu Yan touches her earpiece.

But she loves it.

“It’s showtime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyway thank you for reading! i also upload this on twitter! go find me >:-) @eyuyans


	2. Chapter 2

Light Orange Casino and Resort.

If not for the millions of dollars poured into its construction, its overeager island theme probably would have been tacky. But with crystal chandeliers, lush indoor gardens, and aquariums installed into select parts of the walls, ceilings, and floors, the atmosphere is equal parts a classy, dreamlike oasis and an ostentatious display of wealth.

Leaving the restroom, Yu Yan enters the casino floor. Almost immediately, she finds it disorienting, with its maze of strategically placed slot machines and tables. And as loud, island-inspired jazz escapes from the live music rooms scattered in the vicinity, it's almost a challenge to hear her own thoughts. Though she had studied its floor plans for more hours than she’d like to admit, she finds it’s much different to actually be here.

After quickly scanning the faces of the dealers at the nearest section of table games, Yu Yan turns in confusion.

_Where’s Daimeng?_

She shouldn’t be this hard to find, especially dressed in that ridiculous dealer’s uniform. But in its own right, this space is like a war zone. Even with the knowledge of what lies at every turn, Yu Yan is acutely aware of how easy it could be to miss something. In the air that surrounds her, the scents of cigarette smoke and cheap perfume swirl around one another in a drunken waltz; People move in strange designs as they migrate from machine to machine. It's easy to get lost. Easy to make mistakes. If under different circumstances, the casino would have Yu Yan right where it wanted her. But the team had spent almost half a year preparing for this night. She wouldn’t be taken so easily.

Keyin’s voice buzzes in her ear. “Okay, I’ve got the camera feed now.”

 _“Nice suit, Daimeng.”_ Jiaqi’s voice sounds a bit distant like she’s standing somewhere behind Keyin.

“Shut up.” Daimeng must be speaking through gritted teeth.

“Yu Yan, you’re not far from her. Take a left at the next group of slot machines, and well… I’ll just say Daimeng is quite a feast for the eyes.” The sound of both Keyin and Jiaqi roaring with laughter is cut off by radio silence.

Keyin is rarely right, but Yu Yan hates to admit that just this time, she is. Because seeing Daimeng dressed like this is undeniably a sight. Wearing round, black spectacles and a well-tailored dealer’s suit, the only word to describe Daimeng is handsome.

With her hair pulled back into a relaxed ponytail, and her makeup so perfect it's as if she isn't wearing any; If she weren’t so focused on the mission, maybe Yu Yan would have been stunned by her.

But it's partly true, she does look a bit ridiculous.

Maybe it’s the bow tie.

Yu Yan resists an urge to smile and approaches the roulette table. With a slight bow, Daimeng greets her politely. As if they don't know each other.

But that couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, in the time they've spent together, Daimeng has become one of the people she knows best. In the instant they meet eyes, Yu Yan knows exactly what she's thinking. There's a certain intensity in her gaze, a marriage of anxiety and encouragement. It gives Yu Yan a bit of strength. She’ll have to act now.

For all of their sakes.

Because along with three other faceless patrons, sitting opposite Daimeng are two people they have been reading files about for the past six months. But these men– though she has never even been close enough to smell their pungent cologne or see the imperfections of their skin–can do nothing to surprise her.

She knows almost everything about both of them.

Where they went to high school, the faces of their families. When they leave work and how they like their coffee. Their clothing sizes and the clothing sizes of their mistresses.

She pretends they are strangers. It’s almost funny.

The man seated at the end of the roulette table has a common name, and a plain face, but something about him is disgustingly magnetic. Even when she tries to look away, she finds her gaze lingering on him. Yu Yan has taken to calling him "The Politician" in briefings with the other girls, but on appearances alone, it's hard to believe his capacity to command a room.

He's trying a new hairstyle tonight. His hair, peppered with gray, is clumped with pomade and slicked back clumsily. In Yu Yan's secret opinion, it makes his head look huge.

His slight frame is further dwarfed by the oversized suit jacket he wears. She's used to seeing his image in grainy photos and CCTV, but looking at his face up close, she notices there are faint lines around his eyes, likely a byproduct of his blinding campaign smile.

He is a candidate for the presidency of one of the world's largest corporations, but he just looks like someone's dad. Maybe that's part of his appeal. He looks familiar. Still, she can't shake her impression that there is something hardened about him, a concealed cruelty.

His campaign slogans are always about how he's different from any of the corporations' previous presidents and how he's going to revolutionize the industry. But in her mind, he’s just another dirty politician.

Seated next to her is his campaign manager–who is much uglier in person. He is a round and sweaty man with pink skin and yellow fingernails. He wears a black Hawaiian shirt under a tan blazer. As much as he thinks he’s made a fashion statement, he has not. From the swoop of his thinning hair to the scuffs on his knock-off shoes, he is tacky. Maybe if you looked at him from far enough, his smile would seem kind. But come closer and you’d notice he’s undressing you with his eyes.

They laugh and drink. But Yu Yan knows better. As carefree as their appearances, they have a plan to carry out tonight too.


End file.
